Even in his disguised form, he was still the dream man of every lady that set her eyes on him.

As a result, he managed to get a rather rich woman to drive him back home in her expensive car.

Fortunately, Marlon and Norian were the only ones outside, as Victoria was inside with Stormis.

The woman, who was in her late forties, fat yet possessing a beautiful face, blew him a kiss before driving away.

Axel Storm did not bother to return the kiss, nor did he even acknowledge the woman's presence once he had alighted from the car.

With steady yet graceful steps, he strolled toward his house, his eyes briefly lingering on the two familiar figures standing outside.

He nodded at the two of them and, without saying a word, gestured for them to come inside.

Stormis and Victoria immediately rushed to the door and hugged him.

Stormis did not hold back as he made his request known to his father, asking for permission to spar with Marlon.

Nonetheless, with just a single refusal from Axel Storm, Stormis let go of the topic entirely and silently strolled back to his room.

Victoria hurried after him without hesitation.

"Come with me."

Beckoning to the two of them, Axel Storm strolled toward the back of the house.

It was completely different from the last time Marlon had been there.

A beautiful garden now stood in place, along with a penthouse built from fine wood.

He led the two of them toward it.

With a flick of his hand, a complete set of furniture appeared, and with another simple gesture, he motioned for them to sit.

The two of them sat down and stared at him attentively.

Axel turned to Marlon and began, "I heard about your discoveries at the Deadlight District."

"I would like you to share them with us."

Marlon nodded. He fixed his posture and proceeded to lay everything out for them in detail.

Since the two of them were powerful men who understood more about the world than the entire Hunter Association combined, he did not hide any information.

He started with the Aurax, explaining the strength and powers of the two he had faced so far, and how he suspected the higher-ranked ones might possess nation-level or even planet-level threats.

He also shared the memories he had seen from the memory fragments.

When he spoke of the Aurax wrecking havoc on Arden, the two of them showed no reaction whatsoever.

However, when he spoke about the planet-eating crown, their brows furrowed.

"Can you elaborate on that?" Norian requested.

Marlon nodded and continued.

"In that memory fragment, I could not tell whether time was moving at its normal pace or faster, maybe even slower. Everything simply happened, and I witnessed it. When it finished absorbing the entire planet, it released a powerful pressure that spread across the entire galaxy, and I felt it."

"You felt the pressure while reliving a memory?" Norian questioned.

"That is right," Marlon nodded. "I do not know how that was possible. I was surprised as well."

"And after the pressure, what happened?" Axel asked.

"Nothing. Everything went blank, and I found myself back in my room."

Norian and Axel fell silent at once, both seeming to contemplate the information Marlon had just shared.

Marlon observed the two of them calmly, patiently awaiting their response.

He could not deny that he was troubled.

Even recalling what he had seen in that memory fragment caused his heartbeat to quicken, and as a result, he had rushed through the explanation, ending the story as quickly as he could.

The two men in front of him were among the strongest people he had ever met, and based on the records, they were also the two strongest hunters in Arden.

If even the two of them were not capable of dealing with the planet-eater when the time came, then Arden would be doomed.

"Have you heard about the rift at the Hunter Academy?" Axel asked after a long pause.

Marlon nodded in response.

"Have you seen it?"

Marlon shook his head. "I was planning to go see it later today. Is there anything I need to know about it?"

Axel and Norian exchanged a brief glance, and at that moment, Marlon knew there was something more to the rift, something even the Hunter Association might not know.

Many answers surfaced in his mind, but he suppressed all of them. He could not wait to hear what the rift truly represented.

"The exploration mission," Axel uttered quietly.

Marlon instantly connected everything.

But before he could speak, Axel continued.

"The rift leads to the planet you were supposed to explore in a few weeks' time."

Marlon's mouth rounded into an O shape.

Axel Storm did not mind his reaction and continued his explanation.

According to him, Marlon and the selected others were originally meant to board a spaceship to reach the new planet. Technically, the rift was completely unplanned.

He also stated that no one, not even himself, could determine the exact danger level of the rift.

"We have tried sending high-ranking hunters and even guardians like myself into the rift, but it rejects all of us," Norian added.

Marlon finally understood why no one had begun clearing the rift yet.

But how did all of this relate to the exploration mission in particular?

As if understanding the thoughts running through his mind, Axel asked, "Do you remember why I only agreed to send young and newly awakened hunters on the mission instead of older, more experienced ones?"

As Marlon recalled their previous conversation, understanding dawned on him.

He wanted to answer, but Axel simply nodded, as though he had already heard his thoughts.

Then he continued.

"The exploration mission has been moved forward. A week from now, it will begin," Axel said.

"You are still the leader, but this time, there will be a total of one hundred people participating in the mission."

"Half of them from Arden and the other half from..."

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